Hay wagons go up in flames Friday
By Bill Rea

It didn't take long for this load of hay to go up in flames, but it took local firefighters about four hours to deal with it Friday night. Photo by Ray Castator

The investigation is continuing into a fire that broke out Friday night on two hay wagons that were being towed in tandem on the 10th Concession, south of King Road.

Township Fire Chief Bryan Burbidge said they didn't know the cause yet, adding the man who was driving the tractor that was towing the wagons was not a smoker. The chief added the driver received minor burns to his arm and face when he made a successful and "valiant effort" to disconnect the tractor from the burning trailers.

He said the rig was heading northbound shortly after 5 p.m. when another motorist noticed the fire and informed the driver.

"Given that hay is very combustible, it spread like crazy," Burbidge said.

"They went sky-high," declared local resident Ray Castator, who witnessed the whole thing from the front of his home. He estimated the flames were 25 feet in the air at one point.

Burbidge said they were obliged to close the road for about four hours as they spread the hay on the pavement so it could be doused with water. He also expressed appreciation to Bruce Wilson Landscaping for providing a front-end loader to move the hay.